1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to an impediment to inhibit movement through an opening, and more specifically to an expandable gate adapted to occupy at least a portion of an opening to inhibit travel therethrough. The expandable feature of the gate provides the functionality of custom fitting to occupy at least a portion of the opening and thereafter to retract and/or pivot to no longer occupy the same portion of the opening, thereby allowing free movement through the unoccupied portion.
2. Background of the Invention
A variety of gates are known and presently on the market that are designed to prevent children from passing from one area into another or from ascending or descending stairways. Several of these gates can be adjusted for use in openings having various widths.
Presently there are two common types of adjustable, pressure mounted, security gates that are used in the home for children and pets that include a plurality of gate panels that are roughly adjusted to inhibit movement through a passageway. The first type includes extendible bumpers on at least one side thereof that firmly engage the boundary defining of the passageway to hold the gate in place. The second type includes fixed position bumpers mounted to the gate panels that are caused to firmly engage the boundary defining the passageway by extending the gate panels.
Gates having extendable bumpers may incorporate mechanisms that include numerous interconnecting parts that require precise fits and positioning to interact with each other to extend and retract the bumpers. Gates are also known that utilize actuating mechanisms that include a complex arrangement of links, cranks, pull rods and springs that are interconnected to a pull handle. An example of such an actuating mechanism is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,052,461.